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Don’t skimp on the crickets, barkeep! The “Summer” cocktail features Jiminy and his pals. Photo:

Model Francesca Vuillemin seems ready for the “Why Not,” a twist on the classic margarita — with worms. (Tamara Beckwith)

This drink has got bite — and sting, too. The “Blue Velvet” is garnished with scorpions. (Zandy Mangold)

Here’s one you haven’t heard before. A bar patron asks, “Bartender, what’s this scorpion doing in my cocktail?” The bartender answers, “Garnishing it.” Insect cocktails are no joke at new resto-lounge White & Church, where $14 drinks showcase ingredients that would have some restaurants calling in the exterminator.

Opened a week ago on a busy TriBeCa corner, this lofty newcomer features inventive Italian cuisine, a movie screen that shows muted Fellini films and an extensive 60-drink cocktail menu. On the drinks list, revelers will find a martini made from smoked tree bark and a Bloody Mary mixed with mussels. But it’s the small section appropriately labeled “Insects” that’s creating the biggest buzz.

These drinks include a tobacco- and sugar-infused brandy topped off with scorpions (technically arachnids, not insects) called “Blue Velvet;” a coconut, crème caramel and cricket blend called “Summer;” and a tequila, Cointreau, lime juice, avocado, red pepper and Mexican worm mix fittingly called “Why Not.” So far, “Why Not” has been the top seller.

“They’re very rich in protein,” says White & Church co-owner and chef Matteo Boglione of the edible insects.

While Boglione’s place is normally in the kitchen, he sometimes comes out to translate for his wife, Cristina Bini, whom he met in Florence 15 years ago soon after he’d finished culinary school and she’d completed her studies in mixology. The multilegged libations were her creation.

“I got the idea when I was working in a bar in Florence and they had lobsters in a tank,” says Bini, translated by her husband.

“I thought, insects, same thing. People eat escargot, which are snails. What’s the difference?”

And now the insect infestation has reached Manhattan. But these bugs aren’t coming off of merchant ships or living in old mattresses. They’re procured from toy stores and online novelty shops.

Incredibly, Boglione says he buys his worms and crickets from Toys “R” Us, where a package of 20 goes for $3. It’s tough work keeping all the insects in stock. The restaurant ran out of both bees and scorpions on opening weekend, and the supplier has since discontinued the pollinators, meaning the “Rosemary” cocktail — a combination of apple- and cinnamon-infused rum with lemon juice, honey and toasted bees — is already extinct.

White & Church is looking to replace that drink with another made from giant ants shipped from Great Britain. “This is new to us, too,” Boglione says of the trial-and-error creative process.

Boglione admits many patrons are a bit shocked upon seeing the insects atop the bar, but not everybody’s squeamish.

“Maybe 60 percent won’t try it, 40 percent will,” Boglione estimates.

So far, none have run out screaming.

Curious cocktailers can stop by during the 5-to-7 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday happy hour, when these stingers are just $7. Teetotalers craving a quick bite can belly up to the bar, where the roasted and seasoned critters are kept in transparent containers alongside traditional garden-variety spices.

Crickets!

This frothy piña colada-style drink known as “Summer” is garnished with inedible bamboo and — wait for it — edible crickets, which add a surprisingly sweet element to the $14 tipple. Boglione suggests pairing the cocktail with a flourless chocolate fondant cake ($6).

Scorpions!

Rimmed with tobacco, the brandy-based “Blue Velvet” features a splash of sambuca, is served in a martini glass and comes topped with scorpions ($14). “[Cristina, the mixologist] wanted a strong match for a strong beast,” explains Matteo Boglione.

Worms!

The biggest bug seller on the cocktail menu is the $14 “Why Not,” a frozen drink that plays on the classic margarita — with the addition of avocado, red pepper and spicy worms, the latter a nod to the critters you’d find in a bottle of mescal. Co-owner Matteo Boglione recommends trying it with tuna tartare ($11) to counterbalance the crunchy chili-flecked worms in the drink.